Bobbie?"
Bobbie was sure he had never seen the Breezes before, but they seemed toknow him.
"Oh, can't he stay and play with us?" cried West Breeze. But at thatmoment a big dirigible came in sight, and the four little Breezes wentscurrying away.
0051]
In it were four strange looking persons. Bobbie thought they must be skypirates until the fairy introduced them as the four Winds! He wonderedhow such dreadful looking fathers could have such nice little sons.
"Bobbie has been my guest since yesterday, and we 're now on our way tothe Rainbow," explained the fairy.
"We are on our way to the Rainbow, too," said North Wind, and his breathwas so chilly the butterfly steeds huddled together in fright.
"Let us take Bobbie with us, your Majesty," said West Wind, and gaveBobbie a tremendous, friendly wink. "He ought to have a ride in our newdirigible--it's great!"
Bobbie did wish he could have gone with the little Breezes instead ofwith their fathers, but he did n't like to offend West Wind, so he said,"I'd be glad to go with you, but I'd rather ride in my own balloon,please."
"Very well," said the fairy. "That will be delightful, and I'll leaveyou. Have a good time!" and with that she waved good-by and flew backtoward Flowerland with her butterfly team.
0049]
The bubble floated alongside the dirigible, though the four Winds madesuch a gale with their constant talk and laughter the bubble certainlywould have been blown to pieces if it had n't been a fairy ballooninstead of an ordinary bubble. As they went along the brothers beganplanning what they would do to entertain Bobbie after they left theRainbow.
"We'll go down to Earth," said West Wind. "That's the place to have fun!I'll blow off a man's hat and make him chase it, and I'll flap somewashing off a line and let a dog get it, and--"
"And I 'll blow up a rain," interrupted East Wind, "and turn an umbrellawrong side out, and upset a signboard and a sailboat, and--"
"What child's play!" said North Wind freezingly. "You must come with me,Bobbie. I'll show you a polar bear riding on an iceberg, and then we'llblow the berg crashing down on an ocean liner, and--"
0052]
Bobbie began to be frightened. He didn't think he'd enjoy doing any suchthing. He was wishing he'd never come with the Winds when he heard agreat commotion behind him, and _their_ father, old King Eolus himself,came puffing up.
"Here, you young scalawags," he shouted in a big voice, "what's all thisnonsense? Where are you going? I know where you are going--you 're goinghome, straight home."
"Sorry, sir," said West Wind impudently, "but we told the fairy queenwe'd take her friend Bobbie to the Rainbow."
0053]
"I'll take him there myself," said the old king. "That's just what I'mhere for." So the four Winds had to say good-by to Bobbie and go backhome; and Bobbie wasn't sorry to see them go, either.
"My messengers, the geese, told me yesterday that you were up here,"said the old king. "I've been on the lookout for you ever since. I wasafraid you'd fall in with those rascals of mine. They 're good boys," headded, not stopping to think he'd just called them rascals, "good boys,but young."
"Oh," said Bobbie.
Then old King Eolus and Bobbie traveled on together until they came toa great shimmering many-colored arch. At the foot of the arch stood theRainbow Dwarf beside the pot of gold, and piled around him were bagsof coins and jewels, chests of silver, and wonderful jars and horns ofprecious metal. Their splendor dazzled one's eyes.
0055]
"All hail!" cried the dwarf.
"Good day!" cried King Eolus. "No hail in this weather."
But the Rainbow Dwarf didn't seem to see that any joke was intended, andwas as solemn as an owl.
"Did you see my daughters?" he asked Bobbie, so suddenly poor Bobbiecould only gasp for a moment.
"Did you see my daughters in Flower-land?" he questioned again.
0056]
"Oh, the Rainbow Fairies," answered Bobbie. "Yes; but why do they livein Flowerland? Why don't they live here with you?"
"Listen to me, son," answered the dwarf solemnly. "Listen to me. Mydaughters are the artists for all Fairyland. I taught them to paint herein the Rainbow, and now they paint all the flowers and trees and greenthings that grow. That's why they live in Flowerland. But they oftencome to visit me, and of course they have to come back to the Rainbow toget their paint."
Just then Bobbie heard the soft fluttering of wings, and looking up hesaw coming toward him the seven dainty Rainbow Fairies. With them wasthe fairy queen seated on her golden butterfly and driving her brilliantbutterfly team. Bobbie was very glad to see the beautiful little fairiesagain, and they all greeted him and the little dwarf affectionately.
0059]
But the fairies seemed in a great hurry. Each carried a long dandelionstem with a fuzzy white head. One by one they went up to the rainbow,dipped the dandelion brush in gleaming color, and, in a second, were offagain to Flowerland. The fairy queen told Bobbie of the new violets andbuttercups, nodding sunflowers, and fields of new grass waiting to bepainted by the Rainbow Fairies. Then she bade Bobbie good-by once more,and waving her hand to the dwarf, mounted her shining steed and flewswiftly away toward the golden sun.
As Bobbie watched her, old King Eolus came puffing back from the chestof silver he'd been examining. "Time for me to be off again," he said."Old Eolus can't stay in one place very long, you know. Come on, Bobbie,and I'll start you on your way home!"
"Here, here," cried the dwarf, "before you go, help yourself to some ofthis treasure. It's the prize for reaching the Rainbow's end, and you'vedone it, Bobbie."
But again Bobbie could not reach through the bubble, and much as hehated to leave the glittering coins and sparkling stones, there seemedno help for it. He was just about to thank the dwarf for his kindness,however, when the dwarf said, "Next time you see the Raindrops, dig inyour back yard. They are my messengers, and I'll send the gold by them."
So Bobbie thanked the dwarf for his promise, and bade him good-by. Thenold King Eolus puffed out his cheeks and with a mighty breath sent thebubble spinning. Faster and faster it sped through space, and what withgoing so fast and thinking so hard about the gold the dwarf had promisedhim, Bobbie never noticed what was happening around him until he heard ahoarse voice shouting, "Off the track! Off the track! Off the track!"
Imagine how shocked he was to see coming toward him a most remarkableperson who was all head and no body--though at first glance the longsandy beard that trailed out behind him took the place of a body. But,indeed, he was no gentleman in any sense of the word. He had wickedlooking eyes, and as he shouted again he pointed with one of his greatears.
0061]
"Off the track! Off the track! Off the track!" he repeated at the top ofhis voice.
Now Bobbie could n't see any track, and of course he couldn't have gotoff of his own accord if he had seen one. This curious person was cominglike a fire engine, too, and things certainly seemed in a bad way.
"He's just like those silly geese," thought Bobbie. "Folks up here inthe sky are always telling other folks to get out of the way!"
Now the air was filled with a terrible rushing sound and the curiousperson was shouting away louder than ever. "Clear the road, clear theroad there for the Comet Express!"
"Whizaphats!" thought Bobbie. "Comet Express! Why, he _can't_stop--expresses never stop--and I can't--and--I'll signal him!"
He grabbed at his red tie and, pulling it off his neck, waved it roundand round his head. Too late--the Comet Expressman still dashed madlyon.
"Say," cried Bobbie, "don't you see this signal? Danger! Danger, I tellyou! There'll be a collision!"
Bobbie grew more and more excited as he watched the grinning head withthe long sandy beard rushing on and on. As it neared the Milky Way aflock of goats scurried wildly across its path and a herd of cows kickedup their heels and ran to the farthest corner of their pink pasture. Andjust then, with a fearful swoop, the Comet Express
bore down upon Bobbieand the wonderful bubble.
0063]
Whiz! Buzz! Boom! With a whirl and dash the rushing head came tearingalong, then--Zip! Spat!
The bubble was splashing in a burst of water and light. The CometExpressman looked back with an evil grin, and Bobbie went hurtlingdown--down--over and over--down--down. There below him was the big, deepsea. Down--down went Bobbie, and you may be sure he had no chance tothink of any way to stop himself. Sometimes his head was where his heelsought to be, and sometimes he spun